There can be no doubt that the best way to decorate a house is to employ someone else to do the hard graft. It is one thing to be able to plan the colour schemes and how to rarrange the furniture and effects; it is quite another thing to put these into effect. I have been known to plan a fantastc colour scheme for my downstairs area, only to have it scotched when I found my own capabilities with decorating materials did not match my enthusiasm. A painter needs to have endless energy to pop up and down step ladders and when it comes to the more challenging aspects, such as painting the ceiling, it needs two ladders with a safe plank between the two. There are proper decorators’ ladders available with fixed planks and also the ones for a stairwell. They are rather complicated to erect but are essential for the safety of the painter anywhere near the stairs.
The preparation needs time too. Brushing down the area and cleaning properly . . .So often folk go rushing out to the decorating super stores and buy up the paint and sometimes, new brushes and decent cleaning materials. Then after that initial rush they find they lose the impetus. Definitely worth investigating how much a liocal decorator will charge!